Resident Evil director Zach Cregger reveals why he shot an alternate ending as backup

Resident Evil director Zach Cregger has revealed that the movie's slightly more hopeful ending wasn't originally planned and was only incorporated after filming wrapped as part of his "contingency plan."

The protagonist Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, is bitten by a child early in the film. In the world of Resident Evil, a bite typically leads to mutation into an undead creature. By the finale, Bryan reaches the Umbrella Corporation lab where researchers attempt to find a cure to the zombie outbreak.

In Cregger's original script, Bryan would have fully mutated into a twisted B.O.W. with no humanity remaining. The scientist character would pull out a needle, Bryan would grab the woman's face, the needle would shatter, and the rest of the movie would be Bryan killing the scientist. "People were just like, 'No, it's over,'" Cregger explained to Collider.

However, Cregger shot an additional take of the scientist putting the needle in his pocket. "I shot that shot of the scientist putting the needle in his pocket just 'cause I had a feeling. I was like, 'I feel like I'm going to need that.'" This decision proved crucial.

The alternate footage fundamentally altered the film's emotional arc. "It keeps the stakes all the way until the end. It's like 'save him, save him'. Whereas before it's just like: 'Kill them, I guess, kill them all,'" Cregger said. The revised ending maintains tension through the finale rather than concluding with Bryan's transformation as a foregone conclusion.